‘Pulse’ Canceled at Netflix After One Season; Will not Return for Season 2

Cr. Anna Kooris/Netflix © 2024

Pulse, Netflix’s first US medical drama, acquired off to a comparatively sturdy begin however gained’t be getting renewed after a flailing efficiency within the weeks that adopted its launch. Deadline has now confirmed that the sequence gained’t be coming again, with the solid and crew informed in regards to the cancellation in Could or June. Why was Pulse in the end canceled? It comes right down to the numbers.

As a reminder, Zoe Robyn is the co-showrunner of the medical sequence that was developed alongside government producer Carlton Cuse. Netflix premiered 10 episodes of the medical drama on April third, 2025. 

The sequence is Netflix’s first medical drama from the US, though not its first ever, as worldwide titles like Hospital Playlist and Breathless in the end beat it to the punch. Nevertheless, it comes at a time when Netflix is experimenting extra with genres which have historically carried out properly on cable and broadcast tv. 

Evaluations had been blended on the present, in the end incomes it a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 58% from audiences. It carried out barely higher on IMDb, scoring a 6.8/10.

In our renewal status article, we in the end remained 50/50 on the way forward for Pulse. Nonetheless, on July 2nd, 2025, simply forward of the July 4th vacation weekend, Deadline dropped the bomb that the sequence had been canceled, alongside The Residence. 

There have been plans for a second season, after all, with solid and crew speaking about their intentions within the promotional marketing campaign for season 1. We additionally acquired an early optimistic indication that extra was on the way in which with the WGA listing season 2 of PULSE in its database. In fact, that simply means scripts had been being developed, not {that a} season 2 had been greenlit, but it surely was a optimistic early step with Netflix investing early in a possible season 2. 

In response to Deadline, Pulse “was quietly axed properly over a month in the past when the medical drama’s solid and creatives had been notified, with the actors already up for brand spanking new jobs.”

Why was Pulse canceled after one season?

It in the end got here right down to viewership numbers, together with the variety of hours seen and the whole variety of views, in addition to different components that we don’t have visibility into, equivalent to completion charges and budgets.

The weekly Netflix high 10 lists gave us the earliest trigger for concern when in comparison with different reveals that had been beforehand renewed or canceled.

The sequence featured in that world high 10 record for 4 weeks earlier than dropping out, selecting up 162.10 million hours watched, equating to twenty.20 million views. Right here’s how its performance breaks down week to week, noting that viewership dropped 62 p.c from weeks 2 to three: 

We additionally know that the sequence featured within the weekly top 10s of 82 countries (out of a attainable 91), with the strongest performers being Israel at six weeks, Austria, Germany, Italy, and a handful of others at 4 weeks. 

Stacking up its efficiency, then, we are able to see the place it positioned round reveals like The Residence, which has additionally been canceled, and Obliterated, one in every of Netflix’s most-watched cancellations in its history. 

When evaluating its efficiency to different first-season debuts, you may see in purple people who had been canceled and in inexperienced people who had been renewed, together with their views metric 14 days after launch. 

It’s price noting that Carlton Cuse stays in enterprise at Netflix, teaming up with Robert Langdon to adapt Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets and techniques right into a TV sequence. 

Are you disenchanted that we gained’t be seeing a second season of Pulse on Netflix? Tell us within the feedback beneath!